HENSLEY, TIM (c.1963-2013)

Tim Hensley was born in Cincinnati and grew up in the suburb of Norwood. His earliest musical performances were in church, and along the way he learned to play banjo, guitar, Dobro, mandolin, bass, and steel guitar. The first group he sang and played in was the Altar Way Gospel Singers. Other Cincinnati-area groups of which he was a member included the Licking Valley Boys, Coal Train, and Cimarron. He moved on to Nashville and worked a year with Ricky Skaggs before being hired by Patty Loveless and becoming a big part of her sound, both vocally and instrumentally. He stayed with Patty for ten years before leaving to be part of the Cactus Choir band, which didn’t last too long. He then worked for Sonya Isaacs, Billy Yates, Jason Sellers, and Matt King, but Patty Loveless still used him on her Mountain Soul albums because of his instrumental talent, and because their voices blended so well on bluegrass songs. He then went with Kenny Chesney, where he stayed for eleven years. He and Chesney co-produced his only solo album in 2008, Long Monday, on Rural Rhythm Records.

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